How to refinish kitchen cabinets so they last

In cased you missed it, here’s previous updates:

The previous two weeks, things have felt stuck. This week, WE ARE ROLLING, BABY! The countertops arrived, which allowed me to refinish the cabinets and install the Signature Hardwa re sink and faucet. We accomplished so much this week. The paint is literally drying as I write this, haha!

The countertop

We installed this gorgeous Formica laminate countertop and it’s even more beautiful than expected. I’m so pleased with it! It has a matte finish which makes it feel like a honed stone. The veining almost feels like creases in leather to me.

We have not installed the tile Riad Tile backsplash yes, but I already like the way it looks against this light gray…

Learn more about laminate here

The Sink and Faucet

We also received this gorgeous sink and faucet from Signature Hardware. I chose the Alg ren double bowl, drop-in sink in cloud white. I love the deep bowls with a side for drying. The Ridgeway Pull down faucet really elevates the look.

Signature Hardware Ridgeway polished brass pull down faucet

I originally thought I wanted black here, but then realized the room was lacking metallic finishes. With this faucet being the singular moment of bling in the room, it really feels like the crown jewel!

And I’m so glad I opted for the pull-down. It’s gotten so much use already with all the painting we’ve been doing! (More on that below)

Confession: I’ve only ever had the stainless steel drop in sinks you get for free with the purchase of a countertop from your local big box store. Not my fault, being these were all rentals….but still. I feel like I’m in heaven washing dishes here. Can I say that? LOL

Signature hardware Algren double bowl sink in cloud white

How to refinish kitchen cabinets

This isn’t my first time refinishing kitchen cabinets, but it is the first time I’ve done it correctly. So I thought I would share how I did it - the quickest way - with long-lasting results.

Materials needed:

rotary sander
protective mask (for particulate) and eye protection
extra course sand paper
Valspar Cabinet Enamel (satin finish)
wall putty
tack cloth
1/4” nap very smooth paint roller

#1. The first thing you will want to do is fill in any unwanted holes, particularly if you are switching up your hardware or hinges.

#2. If you remember back to week 4, I spent a lot of effort trying to remove the cabinet doors with a paint stripper. I think this option is probably a good one for people trying to strip lead based paint, or delicate, antique surfaces with nooks and crannies. For me, I was stripping flat-front, wooden cabinets, so there was a much easier way. Enter: rotary sander with 36 grit sand paper. It blasted through layers of polyurethane and paint in no time. You really don’t want to skip this step as it’s not only about stripping paint, but creating a smooth surface as well. Your paint is either going to be a satin or semi-gloss sheen, which means it will highlight texture more than your average flat or eggshell paint. You want to spend some time on this step!

Take your project outside. This is going to get messy. Make sure you are wearing your mask for dust and particles. Go over your surface in a circular motion until the raw wood is exposed. If you are sanding a veneer, make sure you don’t sand longer than you need to as it can go destroy it, exposing the particle board underneath.

What I love about this stage, is the sander is going to pack those fine wood shavings into any little spots you’ve puttied on your wood surface, making them perfectly smooth once you are done. This would be so difficult to do by hand!

Once you are finished, use a tack cloth to go over every square inch of the surface prior to painting.

#3. Paint. I used a Purdy 1/4” nap paint roller for very smooth surfaces. This is very important as it is going to prevent you from having any craters in your finish.

I did not use a primer. Instead, I used Valspar cabinet enamel which already has the primer included. It says you don’t need to sand prior to using it, but I can say from experience, you absolutely do. Sanding the surface is going to not only give you a smoother finish later, but it is going to give the paint something grip on to. Because I am using a dark color, I chose the satin finish. This will be more forgiving over the semi-gloss should there be any errors in the surface. IMPORTANT: Make sure you mix the can thoroughly as it will leave glossy streaks on your cabinets if you do not.

Get painting. This is the fun part! Make sure you are in an area free of debris as your paint is going to take longer to dry than most interior latex paints.

The color here is much lighter than it is once dry.

how to refinish kitchen cabinets that last

As you can see, the result is very close to a factory finish.

The number of coats you will need to do will be dependent on your paint color. Mine took two coats. White paint colors usually take three. I like to put my last coat on after they’ve been installed just to touch up any dings that occur from hinge installation.